A WELL-KNOWN North Adelaide restaurateur is selling up because he is “sick and tired” of an area he believes has become run down, and the management of Adelaide City Council, but councillors have blamed property owners for the prestige suburb’s decline.

Robert Barbaro, 62, has owned Scuzzi Café and its building, on the corner of O’Connell and Tynte streets, since 1992, but says the retail and restaurant strip has become one of Adelaide’s “grottiest”.

Adelaide Lunchtime Newsbyte August 15
1:00

Zoos SA buckles to public pressure to return Golden North ice cream to its freezers, the city's Hutt Street 40km/h zone trial has been ruled a failure, and the first Australians formally identified from the MH17 atrocity

TEN

16 Aug 2014

News

“I have just had enough,” he said.

“O’Connell Street used to be the best. I believe it is one of the grottiest streets. I am sick of the council. I am just sick and tired of North Adelaide,” he said.

“I am not at all reluctant at selling. I am sure someone will buy the business. If they don’t, I will close it down and I will redevelop it. I can build up to six storeys on this site.”

Mr Barbaro declined to name a price, but it is believed the site is valued at several million dollars. He is receptive to someone buying the business and leasing the site.

He has become increasingly despondent about local trade, due to in part Adelaide City Council parking restrictions blamed for a drop in business.

Mr Barbaro told The Advertiser his cafe was barely half full on weekends, something unheard of last year.

RUN DOWN: A well-known restaurateur is closing shop because he says O Connell Street in North Adelaide in too grotty. Picture: Tait Schmaal.Source: News Corp Australia

While he welcomed the influx of people that came with the move of AFL matches to Adelaide Oval, he said the council had discouraged other customers.

“It is so quiet, it is unbelievable,” he said.

“We were never quiet on Saturdays. We were always turning people away. But people don’t want to come anymore because they think there is no parking or they will get a ticket. It is ridiculous.

“People say ‘we won’t go to North Adelaide because we will get fined’.”

Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran agreed that O’Connel St had become run down, but said property owners were to blame.

Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran.Source: Supplied

“It [O’Connell Street} is looking grotty and tired and it needs a facelift,” she said. “What is wrong is that buildings have been left to absolutely rot by landlords.”

Councillor Sandy Wilkinson also said the street was “suffering from a lack of investment” from building owners.

“I think what is grotty about it is how the existing historic buildings have not been maintained or restored,” he said.

North Adelaide Precinct President David Johnson urged more investment from the council.

“The council should be spending more money on the streetscape,” he said.

“They have been spending large amounts on Rundle Mall and Victoria Square, but no money has been spent on place making on O’Connell Street.”

TRAFFIC CONTROLS ARE GIVEN THE BOOT

By Andrew Hough

CONTENTIOUS parking restrictions in North Adelaide on AFL match days are to be scrapped in commercial areas, after a review found they were discouraging shoppers and hurting business.

Event parking measures will be relaxed on busy streets within 1.25km of Adelaide Oval after concerns were raised it had caused the area to become “extremely quiet” during games.

Adelaide City Council has decided to scrap the two-hour restrictions in areas including parts of O’Connell, Tynte, Ward and Archer streets, as well as Wellington Square.

The changes, foreshadowed by The Advertiser yesterday, come after backlash from locals and will allow parking restrictions to be reversed.

A council administration report, which will be tabled at a council meeting next week, reveals details of a survey of 500 North Adelaide residents and 100 businesses, including hotels, restaurants, cafes and other retailers.

Parking restrictions in North Adelaide on AFL match days are to be scrapped. Picture: Tait Schmaal.Source: News Corp Australia

While residents were “generally happy” with the parking measures, the survey found that “few traders have been unaffected”. Traders had reported a dramatic slump in foot traffic.

“A majority of the feedback indicates that the … event parking controls have impacted negatively on their businesses,” the report says.

“Overall, both residents and traders have described North Adelaide as extremely quiet on event days.”

Under the council’s changes, a majority of spaces will be unrestricted on Fridays after 6pm, Saturdays after midday, and all day Sunday.

In other locations, it will be unrestricted after 6pm any day. The proposed changes require endorsement by councillors at meetings over the next fortnight.

David Chick, the council’s general manager of city planning and design, said the council had listened to local concerns

“We want more people to spend time in North Adelaide. Reports are showing that many businesses in the city are benefiting from football at the Oval. We want this to flow into North Adelaide,” he said.

“The changes to the parking controls aim to address ... concerns and encourage people into North Adelaide on game days.”

Restrictions were introduced in March when AFL games started at the state’s new $535 million home of football.

Figures show the council has issued more than $100,000 in parking fines on match days.

News.com.au's Privacy Policy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted content and advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.

A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites.